


The West Wind Blows

by Lastly



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 21:39:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16731132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastly/pseuds/Lastly
Summary: Kassandra spends a night with Xenia but has a lot on her mind.





	The West Wind Blows

A crisp, cool breeze blew in through the open balcony doors of Xenia’s bedroom, causing the drapes to ripple in the otherwise motionless night. Xenia took a drink of wine to help ward off the chill of the night and offered the cup to her lover, Kassandra, who was wrapped up in a fur blanket beside her.

Kassandra glanced at the cup, took a small sip, and then handed it back. Xenia set the cup aside and placed her hand on Kassandra’s shoulder. Despite being _The Mighty Misthios_ , Kassandra was fairly small compared to the Pirate Queen beside her. While Xenia could count on her size to intimidate opponents, Kassandra had to rely on her reptation and raw ferocity to instill fear in hers.

“Tell me, what is it that’s bothering my West Wind?” Kassandra didn’t say anything at first, unsure of what to say. Xenia may have had a rough and tough exterior but in private moments like this it was clear just how much she cared for the mercenary. It wasn’t just that Kassandra was efficient at what she did and had made Xenia a lot of drachmae or that she was a particularly voracious lover on the nights they spent together. Moments like this made it clear that it was something more than that.

Kassandra sat up and moved to the side of the bed, her feet touching the cool wooden floor. She dug her toes in, feeling the grain of the floorboard as she searched for the right words. Just as she though she had found the right words, she looked back over her shoulder at her Pirate Queen and had to pause a moment longer to re-collect her thoughts after they scattered at the sight of Xenia’s mighty and beautiful moonlit visage.

“I can’t Xenia, it’s-“ she interrupted herself with a sigh as she realized she wasn’t so much speaking as she was just having words fall out of her mouth. Xenia reached over and gently placed her hand on Kassandra’s bicep, feeling the pair of old scars under her fingers, as a sort of silent encouragement. _Whatever it is, I’m here for you_ she said, with nothing but a gentle touch.

“It’s about someone else.” Kassandra's gaze hit the floor. “A former lover.” she begrudgingly admitted.

Xenia sat up and moved her touch to Kassandra’s back, starting at the base of her neck and working her way down to the small of her back.

“I’m not a fool Kassandra, I know that my West Wind blows for many people and not solely for me.” She moved to sit next to Kassandra on the edge of the bed and put her arm around the mercenary.

Kassandra opened her mouth but no words came out. She looked over at Xenia as tears starting to form in her eyes. Xenia pulled her closer, her big arm providing a gentle but firm squeeze. Kassandra put her head down on Xenia’s shoulder as the tears began rolling down her cheeks. They stayed that way, listening to the breeze outside rustle some trees, for some time before Kassandra broke the silence.

“Her name was Daphnae. She...” Kassandra swallowed to try and stop herself from openly crying at the mention of her name. “She was a Priestess of Artemis. And beautiful. More beautiful than any night sky or ocean shore.”

“Or a hoard of treasure?” Xenia suggested with a playful grin. She was hoping to bring some levity to help Kassandra hold back her tears at least long enough to get the words out.

Kassandra cracked a small grin and almost even laughed before continuing. “Twice as beautiful as the greatest treasure hoard you can think of. And so kind. And loving. Brave.... loyal. And devout...” Kassandra began to trail off as she continued to shower this Daphnae person in compliments.

“Did you try telling her all this? Surely if she’s all these things and more than she must realize how much she means to you.” Xenia said, thinking that if Kassandra got caught up in listing all the virtues of Daphnae, it would do the mercenary more harm than good and solve nothing. And while she did successfully get her lover on to something else, it didn’t take long for her to realize what she had said was perhaps not what her West Wind had needed to hear.

“I’ve traveled all over these islands and fought all sorts of beasts but I don’t think that even I could venture into Hades to see her again... especially since I was the one who sent her there....” she admitted. Kassandra raised her head off Xenia’s shoulder and silently stood up and walked over to the balcony doors, staring out towards the city but not really looking at anything in particular. Xenia could only watch Kassandra’s movements as she struggled to find something to say. She knew at the outset that this conversation would be tough but underestimated just how tough it ended up being. Part of her just wanted to admire the beauty of Kassandra’s form, a gorgeous silhouette against the night sky and lit by the full moon, but she knew that she had to do something. She had started all this and she couldn’t bare to leave it like this: things undone and half-said. Xenia stood and followed Kassandra to the doorway, placing her hands on her lover’s shoulders as she began to speak.

“Kassandra, I’m sorry I-“ she was cut off as Kassandra grabbed one of Xenia’s hands and lead it to a scar in her shoulder. It was fairly recent, at least compared to Kassandra’s other scars.

“This is where she shot me with an arrow.” Kassandra explained, punctuating it with a sort of grim chuckle. “She said I was sent by Artemis to become their new queen...” she paused and pulled on Xenia’s hand, signaling for her to come closer. Xenia understood the motion and stepped closer, wrapped her arms around Kassandra's waist and held her tight. She kissed the top of Kassandra’s head to let her know that she was there for her, ready for whatever was to come next.

“And she said that for me to do that, I had to kill her...” Kassandra paused as the painful memories caused more tears to run down her cheeks. Xenia moved one hand up to help wipe them away, which made Kassandra show a small grin. She grabbed the Pirate Queen’s hand and held it against her cheek for a moment. Xenia's hands were large and rough but they provided a warm comfort to Kassandra and gave her a renewed burst of confidence, knowing that she didn’t have to be alone in sorting through these memories.

“I know she loved me but she loved Artemis and her people even more... if I had betrayed her devotion and refused her then that would have been the worse crime, right?” Kassandra squeezed Xenia’s hand and turned her head to try and catch a glimpse of the larger woman’s response. 

At first, Xenia was quiet but then she placed another kiss on Kassandra’s cheek and told her, “It sounds like you did the right thing to me. Crowning a new queen for her people is what she wanted more than anything... and she loved you and knew that you were the right one for the job.”

Kassandra squeezed Xenia’s hand again and gazed out upon the sleepy city again. “She died in my arms. After I... I...” she paused, unable to put to words what she had done. “I watched as her last breath left her body...”

“To die in the arms of a lover is a blessing, regardless of the circumstances. She knew how much you loved her and she knew that you would do anything for her, even though it ended up being the hardest thing in the world.”

Kassandra silently turned around, put her arms around Xenia’s neck and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. They held the kiss for a few moments before Kassandra broke it. She reached up and gave the Pirate another quick kiss and then rested her head on Xenia’s chest, as a few more tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Wounds take time to heal, my West Wind. Some longer than others. But hopefully this helped even a little bit.” Xenia said, barely more than a whisper, as she squeezed Kassandra tight and Kassandra squeezed her back.

They stayed in the embrace for a while, until the gentle sea breeze convinced them it was too cold to stand around naked like that. They moved back to the bed together where they spent the rest of the night wrapped in each others arms.

The next morning, Kassandra made a slower goodbye than usual. Although she wanted to spend more time with her Pirate Queen, they both knew that it couldn't be. Kassandra still had too much to do and was far from being ready to settle down, even with a partner as wild as Xenia. Before Kassandra went back to the Adrestia, she shared a longer-than-normal kiss with Xenia: a silent promise that the West Wind would return to Keos.


End file.
